Beltane Rite

Blessed Beltane.

As promised here is a breakdown of how I celebrated the holiday.
I had work all of May Day, so all of my ritual was performed on Beltane Eve.

Firstly I collected my supplies;

And I began to set my ritual space.
Due to not owning our own house yet, I could not have a full Beltane Bonfire! (One day...One day...)
So, I gathered a collection of candles in a circle, to represent the fires of Beltane.
Fire is a huge part of this rite, as is the Sun God.
The fires of Beltane are said to hold healing, magical properties. For thousands of years, people have jumped the bonfire flames, to rid themselves of illness, to receive mental clarity, or simply to make a wish.

Light all but one candles, and set your incense going.
Cast your circle.

Meditate a little, and ground yourself here.
A common tradition for those not living in towns with pagan traditions is to make their own mini maypole.
The maypole represents the union of the Lord and Lady of the Greenwood, and dancers take ribbons and dance around the pole intertwining them around the pole.

To make my own, I set out this morning with the sun beaming down on me, to the nearby woodland, and collected an appropriate size stick.
Then coming home I collected my ribbons.
Now in this sacred space I've made, I set about wrapping these ribbons around my chosen stick. My mind truly focused on the task, the braiding of the ribbons a therapeutic rhythm.

With this completed, I can set my maypole aside.
Now rise.
And dance in my circle. If you decide to do this ritual; Don't feel silly, or embarrassed, just dance freely. Put on music if you have to, or if you're outside, sense the rhythm of the earth.
Dance for as long as you feel comfortable, and smile while you do so.

Sitting back at my candles, I began to chant.

" I dance delight
On Beltanes Night.
All senses freeing,
I dance for being.
Sun, embrace the earth, Bright
I ask you with this Rite."

I light my one remaining candle in the name of the Sun God, and drink from a chalice of Wine in the name of the Goddess.

And to close my rite, I jumped my candle DIY bonfire, and made a wish!

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Something like this could easily be tailored to your own Beltane celebration.

Enjoy.
Much Love,
Jade

xx

Witch?

I recently listened to a podcast featuring 'Old - Hag', in which she spoke about how so many people claim to be a witch or follow a religion, but don't put anything into it. They are not for lack of a better term 'practicing'.

And this made me think; is this me?

Do I label myself but not follow through?

Do I perform enough magic, to classify as a witch?

The answer is that every time I light a candle, every time I draw down the moon, every time I put my intentions out into the world, every time I wear a crystal for guidance. every time I read tarot, every time I meditate, every time I let the bath water run down the plug hole before leaving the tub, every time I bake with love, every time I use herbs for healing - all of these things are magic.

In my heart I feel so strongly connected to divination and candle magic. I am drawn to mirror magic, and adore reading tea leaves.

It's not a lie, it's not a fad, this is my life - and in every thing I do, you can find my inner witch.

It's inside all of us.

How can it not be, women especially with our connection to the moon and the tide.

We are made of power.

We are the goddess.

I agree with Old-Hag, there are many people of little faith out there from all religions who claim to be something, they simply are not.

But what does your heart say?

You can't expect good things to come from your religion, if you are not practicing.

How does mother earth know you're calling, if you don't take the time to get outside?

Love And Light

https://www.facebook.com/loveandlightshopchepstow

This beautiful little spiritual shop in Chepstow, stocks the most beautiful handmade, reiki infused candles. In all shapes, all sizes, all smells, and all colours.
I have had nothing but wonderful service from them.
The lady who owns the shop and is behind the creation of all these gorgeous candles is Simone Jones.
She's been awfully accomadating for me, taking all beeswax from her candles, to make them vegan friendly for me, and recently I was honoured enough, to be asked by the shop, to photograph a new range of glass candles that were now being made. 

Below are my results.
It's been along time since I did any sort of buisness/product shots, but I think I captured the magic of these creations here. 

Faerie Arc

Whilst trying to connect with my Faerie Oracle, lovingly created by Brian Froud; I discovered a new spread, that can easily (and probably is) be translated to a traditional tarot deck.

It's a very simple question driven, 5 card spread.

Here is the set-up;

Card 1 ~ Which is the card at the bottom of the image.

                Represents you currently in terms of your question.

Card 2 ~ The next card up, placed horizontally.

                Is the obstacle in the way.

Card 3 ~ The card to the left.

               Something you can do to get to your desired ending.

Card 4 ~ The card to the right.

                Something else you can do to aid the situation.

Card 5 ~ The top, central card.

               Your goal. End result.

Using this spread I actually began to feel a connection to this deck for the first time. Doing larger pulls, always helps me see patterns and meanings, more so than a one card pull.

This is my first result whilst using the spread.

With Frouds Faerie Oracle deck, and most oracle cards in general; the reading is as much about your own interpretation, as it is about what the book states. I'm learning to combine the two, to get a properly accurate reading for myself and others.
Take the card below; The Oak Men.

It's a beautiful card, and instantly through the title, I think of trees. Old, wise, and seemingly ever lasting. In the three faces, I can see the Mother, Maiden and Crone - knowledge learn't from our elders, passed on through generations, which helps us grow wise and strong. Trees are stoic and unmoving...and if we think of JRR Tolkien's Ents, they are slow in their thinking, but deep. Looking for deeper meaning and thought behind actions. No rash behaviour.
 This is my interpretation, and when you look up the meaning in the book that Froud intended to create, you'll often find some/a lot of similarities to what you've come up with yourself.

                                            ___________________________________

I plan to make a blog on the books in my TBR pile currently. And also to share a fun idea I discovered that involves using your crystals.

Love and Light,
Jade
xoxox

My Spring Altar

Wow.
Over 2 months since my last blog update...
That's a long, unintentional break.

I'm hoping to start back up here, to reconnect spiritually to my cards and other magical working. And maybe one or two people will find something that helps them on their path here.

So I'll start with my altar re-design for spring.
Which is all about endings and new beginnings.

It's an altar focused on building and growing dreams. Featuring 3 (the magical number) photos of people who are currently inspiring me, and living dreams I want to live myself.
Everytime I do focused work at my altar, these guys are staring back at me, encouraging me.

This little pewter witch under my roe deer skull, was one of my first magical purposes. I got her when I was around 11, and with her little cone hat, she really grounds me.

The shells I collected from various beach trips over the years - they represent water, travel, and creativity.

                                                         ______________________________

So...
I've got a new spread to share with you all here soon. I've been trying hard to connect with my Brian Froud Faerie Oracle Deck, and yesterday I got a truly motivational, true reading with it for the first time.

If you would like to see my daily posts, and more of my witchy goings on, feel free to follow me over on my instagram;

http://instagram.com/razorlustjade/

Yuletide

Yule.
My second favourite holiday!
The winter solstice, and the days of Yule represent the shortest day of the year. It is a festival of bright lights and fire, in the middle of the darkest season.
Most people whatever their religion, now accept that the 25th of December is not Jesus's birthday - and even more people view it as a commercial way of money making by companies, which may be true, but it does not diminish the ancient rites of a pagan festival...which as far as we can tell is where 'Christmas' descends from.

So Yule, to most witches, falls on the 21st of December. The word Yule, and the general festivities, relate back to Germanic paganism, with the first recorded use of the name Yuletide being found in 1475. In it's earliest form the term yule, or yuletide, was significant to a 12 day festival in the month of December, or sometimes just a referral term for the month itself.

As with most of Witch tradition, the true origins and rites are rather jumbled - but the general belief is that the days of Yule, are a celebratory festival during the Winter festival, rejoicing in the rebirth of the SUN, and/or the Great Horned God.

In simple terms, you are thanking the gods/goddess that you have survived a long hard winter, and are joyful that the sun is being reborn. The longest night is behind you, and their is hope.

So as a witch, you might ask why I have so many christmas related things in my household. A decorated tree? mistletoe? holly and ivy?
Why do I cook so many rich, cinnamon treats, and yule logs endlessly all month?

You might be surprised to learn some of their origins, and how they date back to our wonderful pagan and druid ancestors.

A Tree

That possibly tacky thing in the corner of the living room, covered in twinkling lights, and brightly coloured baubles, actually has some deep seated roots!
The evergreen tree was sacred to the Celts, because it did not die! Its boughs became a symbol of the eternal divine. Your gods and nature have not abandoned you, when all the greenery around you cannot penetrate the hard earth. Bringing full trees into your house is a more recent tradition, but it held the same basic priniciple. This tree would live the winter, and so would you, and when the sun returned to the earth, you would replant the tree back to nature. 


Mistletoe

Druids revered the oak tree, and the mistletoe that grew from it. During the winter when all other signs of nature had vanished, the green twigs of mistletoe and their white berries, were seen as a sign of eternal fertility.
They travelled far, and climbed high for this mistletoe to clear couples of infertility.
Often hung over their doorways, over the years we have developed the tradition of kissing beneath it.
So...don't kiss too passionately, now you know the supposed effects ;)

Yule Log

Originally not a scrummy, chocolate cake at all!
Can you believe?!
The Yule log was just that, a log. Harvested with your own hands, and placed in the fireplace. The log would be decorated, for the season, and then put in the fire as the main kindling, at winters end. The fire here, representing the newborn sun.
Nowadays, what with fireplaces being hard to come by. Many witches, use their yule log as a base for three candles. The candles still represent the coming sun, it's a lot safer. and you can reuse the same log year and year again.

Nativity Scene?!

Yes.
I know.
The nativity is about the birth of christ? Yes. It is.
However, originally called the 'crib', the first such scene was made in 1224, to remind people of the religious side to christmas.
But for thousands of years, us magical folk, have been carving things into wood, making sculptures from clay, wheat poppets, even voodoo dolls. Their techinical name is 'santons', and making a santon of those you love is very powerful magic. Creating physical, visual images of your family and friends, and keeping them together, in a set-up similar to that of the nativity, forms strong bonds between you, and keeps you connected even over great distances. 

Holly And Ivy

A sprig of holly near the door is said to invite nature sprites. It is a deterant for evil beings, and a welcome to positive entities.
It is also a symbol of remembrance for the historic battle of the Holly and the Ivy. 

That Family Meal

This ones simple.
Harvest was over, times were hard. Getting everyone together for festive meals, around the fire, kept everyones spirits up - it shut out the dark, and laughter and good cheer, held away the negativity.
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So there you have it.
Christmas is a bit more witchy than you thought isn't it?


I will be back on Thursday for more tarot for you guys,
But I am already wishing you the happiest of  Yules with your nearest and dearest.

Much love,
Jade
xoxo

Tarot Thursday

I cannot get into a space to pull for you guys.
I'm very sorry, but something is stopping me. The time is not right perhaps, or maybe the spirits just have nothing to say.
I waited a few days to see if I could get some pull to do a reading for you.

But you cannot force those from the Otherside to send you messages.
As soon as it feels right I will pull for you lovely lot.

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Out of the broom closet...

Until I reached adulthood, I always took for granted how supportive my family was about my connection to the craft.
I knew how cool my mum was when my friends were being grounded for meditating with candles, whilst my mum and... actually, my whole family were buying me every book they could find on wicca, paganism and druidry!

But hearing stories from all walks of life about 'witches' who are scared to leave the broom closet, makes me realize how important that support was.

I was always allowed my phases.
We all go through them...

The goth phase.

The adventurer, girl-scout, camper phase.

The aspiring vet phase.

The Daddys-Girl phase.

The Model Phase.

Some phases are just that...phases; but others are with us for a long, long time.
When my family realised that my 'witch phase' was no longer a phase, and an actual religious experience, they went out of their way to get me as educated on the subject as any 12 year old could be.
I had limits set in place...no Ouiji boards for starters. (A rule I broke on numerous occasions, but hey.) and it took a lot of convincing the female generations of my family that tarot was not evil to get my first deck.
They collected herb and magic magazines for me.
Picked me flowers and herbs for 'potions'
Books galore.
A set of Runes.
Chi-gong balls.

I was drawing circles on my wooden bedroom floor with chalk. I was creating covens with friends (sadly none of which stood the test of time), I was playing 'light as a feather, stiff as a board' in the middle of my year 7 class room. I was keeping a Book of Shadows. I was watching TOO many episodes of Charmed. I was living a magical life, and that was fine.
It was normal.
No secrets.
No hiding...
I didn't even know the metaphorical broom closet, was where a large handful of my fellow witches were residing, existed.

I wish I had true, helpful advice for anyone who is having to keep their journey on the path a secret. But I understand it is not always as simple as just being honest about it.
Speaking out is not always the best course of action.
Your family might NOT understand.
You might have tried to talk about it before, and been shut down.
Maybe you were bullied in the school yard.
I don't know your individual situations, but I can offer a few suggestions that might ease the transition.

1. Find like minded people.

In this age of technology, there are hundreds - thousands of outreaches into witchcraft! By joining private facebook groups you can openly discuss things like rituals and spellcasting online. You can find forums that are safe-havens for those of you with no support IRL.
You never know, you might find your own little family/coven online. Even with the support of my family, partner and friends...I still reached out to others who actually practiced the craft, and I fell in love with The Parlour.
An online tarot (and other witchy goodness) class led by wonderful, witchmama Veronica Varlow.

Join us?

http://dangerdame.com/shop/online-class-the-parlour/

2. Educate yourself.

Learn as much as you can!
Learn the history, the traditions. Know your stuff! That way if you have to fight your corner, you can do so with accuracy and efficiency!

3. Start Small...

Test the waters.
Don't come out of the broom closet over dinner. Gently tip a question or comment into conversation and watch the reaction. Learn the limits your family might have...find a way to ease out the ultimate 'coming out' conversation.

4. Never Hide from yourself!

Even if you do have to keep a part of yourself under wraps, never lose your own way.
Be true to yourself!
Don't let anyone make you feel wrong, trust your own footing on the path, and don't feel judged by those around you.
You are who you are...and that is a beautiful person who will somehow find their time and place to flourish.

Tarot Thursday

As of today Tarot Thursday is back!!
Regular, weekly tarot guidance you can rely on.

Check back here every Thursday to find a fresh pull or spread pulled just for my lovely followers.

Today I chose my druid animal oracle deck - It's been calling to me for a while, so I thought I'd see what these cards had to say for you.

Here goes;

Goose

 - Geadh

Vigilance. Parenthood. Productive Power.

Sometimes the goose shows up to tell you that you are ready to start a family...this is a big scary step, but the goose takes  parenthood in her stride.
The goose allows you to open up your productive power, secure in the knowledge that your relationship or family will provide a stable environment to act as a crucible for your creativity.
The gooses ability to raise a family, yet fly high, shows us that it is possible to be both grounded and spiritual in our daily lives.

Yuletide Altar

Altars are a very sacred space to any witch.
That is not to say that you can't practice witchcraft if you do not have an altar - but they are a wonderful place to ground and center yourself, as well as a great way to leave a dedication to your chosen faith, and to have as a thanks to the goddess.

Now, like most of my fellow sisters, my altar changes seasonally. It's very easy to alter your altar to bring some of nature indoors.

I thought today I would share with you my current autumn/winter altar.
Altars are private places where a witch can 'pray' if you will. It is a great space for meditation and any spellwork.

Over ten years ago, when I set up my first altar - I had been gifted and purchased so many wonderful artifacts, that I was cramming as much as I could fit onto my altar.

Over time I've learnt that less is more, and that I can utalise the space around my workspace for spare candles, my runes, my chi-gong balls, and to burn incense.

I've found working on a small table for an altar to be most useful.
Plenty of space below it for storage, and you can easily cover it all up with a large piece of pretty fabric.

Choose items that are personal to you!

This is very easy to do with small items like crystals, as you can change them routinely without changing your entire altar. Crystals that represent things you wish to achieve this month, or crystals for meditation work wonderfully.

(For those curious; quartz, eagles eye, tigers eye)

For the months of September and October, I had a pumpkin lantern on my altar, now that Samhain has passed, and we are moving into Yule - I have replaced the pumpkin with a festive wreath.  I placed it around an ever-present candle on my altar.

 At the base of this bowl, are rose petals worked in love magic months ago, that will stay on my altar for a long, long time. But depending on what my altar is meant to be expressing, I add different objects to the top of the bowl.

Now, it is red leaves of autumn, a pine cone, and a seagull skull.
There are two skulls on my altar at the moment. A bird and a fox. Both are real, and both were ethically obtained.
The skulls are really important throughout the course of winter. It reminds us of natures trials in these months, and of the impending death of flowers, and trees, and grass, and animals, with the presence of snow and frost, and biting cold.

Whilst Tarot and divination are a large part of my life, I don't usually have a tarot card on my altar. But recently 'The Moon' card has been calling to me. I've pulled it multiple times - it's moved from the bottom of my deck to the top at least twice. And the moon has been in my dreams.

The Moon represents your subconscious. Your hidden desires. It tells you to listen to your dreams and learn from them. The Moon represents a darker side to you emerging. 

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Bonus!!!

If you are lucky enough to have a familiar, set them up a little bed, near your altar. You'll find they love to sleep nearby when you are doing spell work.

Show me your altars in the comments.

I love seeing where you all work your magic.

Love and Light,

Jade

xoxo

Money Magic

I think it's safe to say, that most of us have been experiencing financial difficulties.
We're told on a nearly daily basis, that our country is in a crisis.
We are broken.
Broken Britain, is a catch phrase slung around constantly.

But I'm not here to talk about politics.
I'm here to give you some magical tips to get some money flowing in!

We could all use some aid from the otherside with wealth...
So let me tell you how to ask for this help.

Shockingly, my tips focus around your wallet/purse.

Lets take a look shall we.

Firstly, chuck out all those receipts!
Hoarding them in all those nooks and crannies, represents all that money going out. Creating negativity, and promoting financial outgoings.
So get rid of them!

Now, what should you have in your wallet?

(rough citrine)

Citrine is also known less commonly as the 'Success Stone' - what else do you need?! It is the crystal of abundance! It brings about feelings of generosity to those around you and to you yourself, so that new abundance can be rightfully shared. It is the chakra crystal for the solar plexus, and is used often for personal power to be increased. It helps us focus and achieve our goals.

Green Adventurine is thought to be the luckiest stone, and is often referred to as the 'Stone of Oppurtunity'. By carrying it in ones purse, you are optomising the chance of money being given to you. It helps us move through lifes obstacles, and aids us in motivation.

(tigers eye)

Tigers Eye is a great stone for wealth and money manifestation. It brings luck, but is also grounding, so we don't get carried away with our income. And as an added bonus, it's a wonderful talisman for protection.

Peridot Gemstones vibrate towards frequent increase, which makes them handy for money magic. It is also said to protect any existing money in your possession.


And for a super boost add some clear quartz aswell. Quartz is a boost for any other stone. So it'll give your crystal some extra umph!

(quartz point)

Pick two or three crystals that work out for you, and store them in with your coins.

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And lastly you can get some fresh mint.
Dry it, and then sprinkle it into your purse.

Mint is the herb of prosperity, and is often used to aid money growth, along with it's more common uses for headaches and digestion.

Give it a go, and try and balance out your bank balance.

Much love,
Jade
xoxo